Enjoy an evening of networking, refreshments and fun in the heart of downtown Madison with fellow young professionals in the dairy processing industry.

Purchase ticket to attend.

 

Location: Forthcoming

Join friends and colleagues as valued industry supplier Tetra Pak kicks off CheeseCon 2025 with this refined gathering, open top all attendees.

Sponsored by: 

Location: Atrium

Dairy student teams from across the United States gather at CheeseCon to evaluate dairy products and vie for the title of Collegiate Champion. Visit the action live on-site and catch a glimpse of the future of the dairy industry.

Location: Mendota Rooms 5-7

Everyone at CheeseCon can enjoy a complimentary lunch during the Tabletop Exhibits. Enjoy networking with friends, new and old.

Location: Hall A

Supplier experts take to our two education stages throughout the afternoon, imparting quick-hitting impactful information to dairy processors. It's a tool chest of ideas presented right on the exhibit floor.

View full topic information here.

Location: Hall B

Nationally-recognized cheese evaluators will lead attendees through the process of examining, tasting and evaluating the quality of ten cheese styles. Learn the steps in professional grading, the nomenclature of flavor, texture and body defects, and scoring systems used in regulatory and competition grading.

Hosted by:

Location:  Upper Level Meeting Rooms

Hundreds of students attending Cheesecon for the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest move from visiting exhibits to our main stage to celebrate the students and schools that performed best!


 

Location: Hall A

Relax and mingle with your peers as Custom Fabricating & Repair hosts this special closing party for 2025 CheeseCon.

Sponsored by:

Location: Capitol Ballroom, Sheraton Hotel

All attendees are invited to celebrate the achievements of industry greats. WCMA is proud to honor leaders who have built the U.S. Cheese industry, featuring recipients of:

• WCMA Babcock Award
• WCMA Vanguard Award
• WCMA Luminary Award
• WCMA Distinguished Service Award
• WCMA Cheese Industry Champion Award
• WCMA Life Member

Sponsored by: 

Location: Hall A

Exclusively for artisan and specialty cheesemakers, this workshop at Center for Dairy Research (CDR) will include lectures, a guided sensory activity, and an interactive tour of CDR’s ripening rooms. Space is limited to 25 participants and the special $50 fee includes the lunch upon arrival at CDR, the workshop and transportation to/from CDR.  The shuttle bus will depart the Alliant Energy Center at 12:15 p.m. and return by 3:30 p.m.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Understand affinage as an option for adding value to cheese, including cheese that you already produce, and learn about the basic types of affinage.
• Investigate the composition and character changes that occur in cheese during affinage.
• Learn food safety perspectives for different affinage varieties as well as advice on wood board variances and insight on wood board safety. 
• Obtain resources available to you as an Artisan/Specialty Cheese maker. 

EXPERT SPEAKERS 

• Ben Ullerup Mathers, Specialty Cheese Coordinator, CDR
• Dr. Mark Johnson, Cheese Scientist, CDR
• Alex O’Brien, Safety & Quality Coordinator, CDR
• Lindsey O’Brien, Dairy Foods Trainer, CDR

Purchase ticket to attend.

 

Location: Center for Dairy Research

Description: Gather with dairy professionals from around the nation to honor the outstanding achievements of the 2025 United States Championship Cheese Contest Winners. This elegant gala is a night to remember for dairy craftsmen, and a must for anyone with a passion for the industry.

Purchase ticket to attend.


 

 

Location: Hall A

Treating wastewater from dairy processing offers challenges in capturing and managing nutrients as well as opportunities in capturing and managing nutrients. As options narrow for land and waterway application of treated water, new technology is discovering novel solutions and opportunities to enhance treatment and harness “waste” nutrients as useful end products.

MODERATOR

• John Umhoefer, Executive Director, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association

EXPERT SPEAKERS

Landspreading Regulation and Advancing Wastewater Technology

• Steve Warrner, Wastewater Specialist, Wastewater Program, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Drying to Solve Problems: The Growing Potential for Cake Sludge

• Bryan Gatzke, Permitting and Compliance Manager, The Probst Group

High Strength Diversion and Isolation of Dairy Industry Wastewater; Upstream and Downstream Implications

• Simon Larson, Project Engineering Manager, Complete Filtration Resources

Overcoming Wastewater Hurdles in Cheese Production with Nanobubbles

• John Crisman, Senior Water Process Engineer, Moleaer Inc. 

Reimagining Wastewater Treatment: Utilizing Organic Materials as Valuable Feedstocks

• John Lucey, Director, Center for Dairy Research

Q & A Panel

• All Speakers

Hosted by:
 and 

Location: Mendota Rooms 1-2

GHG emissions are a critical sustainability topic for many industries, including U.S. dairy.  As a result, stakeholders increasingly expect companies to measure, disclose, and manage their GHG footprints. This includes setting credible, science-based GHG reduction goals for scope 1 (direct), scope 2 (indirect from energy), and scope 3 (value chain) emissions.   Join for three mini panels of dairy industry and processor experts to explore carbon foot printing across the farm, plant and product levels. Gain insights into the latest guidance, methodologies, and resources from The Climate Source and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and how they support dairy companies on their decarbonization journeys. 

WELCOME

• Erin DeGennaro, Manager, Dairy Industry Relations, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

FARM SESSION

• Sage Saffran, Manager, Sustainability Initiatives, National Milk Producers Federation

• Rachel Turgasen, Senior Director, Member Relations & Corporate Sustainability, Foremost Farms USA
• Kris Scheider, Zirbel Dairy Farms, Foremost Farms Farmer

PLANT SESSION

• Eric Hassel, VP, Sustainability Standards, Measurement and Reporting, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

• Kaitlyn Harbort, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Foremost Farms
• Sarah Schmidt, Vice President of Marketing, Associated Milk Producers, Inc.

PRODUCT SESSION

• Jessie Deelo, CEO, The Climate Source

• Sudeep Jain, Director, Quality Assurance, Michigan Milk Producers Association
• Holly Jones, Director of Global ESG/Sustainability, Agropur

Hosted by:
 and 

Location: Upper Level Meeting Rooms

Following President Donald Trump’s order limiting private organizations from conducting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) programs, many dairy processors are working to determine how to navigate both liability concerns and a necessity to support their workforce.  Join legal experts and industry leaders for an engaging conversation about this hot topic, and their strategies to uphold a welcoming, equitable workplace, attracting top talent, while ensuring long-term success in a changing regulatory environment.  

MODERATOR

• Rebekah Sweeney, Senior Director, Programs & Policy, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association

EXPERT SPEAKERS

• Allison Bolet Cafaro, Generational Impact Manager, Great Lakes Cheese
• Jose Quijada, Senior Director, Digital Solutions, Ecolab
• Farrah Rifelj, Sub-Practice Leader, Affirmative Action, Micheal Best & Friedrich LLP

Hosted by:

Location: Mendota Rooms 5-6

Rapid innovation and constant disruption demand adaptability and resilience from dairy processors. As the pace of change in our industry quickens, hear directly from leaders in transition, as they share actionable strategies to balance vision with agility, harnessing the power of emerging technology, building inclusive culture, and navigating dynamic markets and politics. 

MODERATOR

• Betty Thompson, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Society for Human Resource Management
  Change Management Strategies and Tools

EXPERT PANEL

• Heather Anfang, President of Dairy Foods, EVP at Land O' Lakes Inc.
• Craig Caballero, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona
• Bob Sarver, President and CEO of Great Lakes Cheese
• David Scharfman, VP of Growth at Specialty Cheese Company

Location: Hall A

Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has built successful industry teams to advance key food safety goals.  Explore strategies for foreign material controls and pathogen control in brines. Next, discover the latest research on Listeria in Hispanic-style cheeses, and the survival of H5N1 in dairy products.

MODERATOR

• Tim Stubbs, SVP Food Safety and Product Research, Innovation Center for US Dairy

EXPERT SPEAKERS
Foreign Materials Controls

• Gale Beard, Director of Operations, Food Safety & Quality, Grande Cheese
• Alex O’Brien, Food Safety/Quality Coordinator, Center for Dairy Research

Food Safety Management of Cheese Brines

• Erica Bognar, Director of Food Safety, Sargento Foods
• Michelle Braun, Quality Process Improvement Manager, Agropur

Panel Q&A on Foreign Materials & Brines

• Gale Beard
• Erica Bognar
• Michelle Braun
• Alex O’Brien
• Jeremy Travis, VP of Quality & Technical Services, Hilmar

Food Safety Research Updates

• Hispanic-Style Cheese and Listeria Monocytogenes: Do All Cheese Types Carry Equal Risk?
  • Zoe Anderson, Food Science Masters Student, Oregon State University
• Dairy Goes Viral: Let’s Talk Avian Influenza (H5N1) Risk and Control in Dairy Foods
  • Dr. Sam Alcaine, VP Regulatory & Scientific Affairs, International Dairy Foods Association

Location: Mendota Rooms 1-2

Learn about increased uses for whey and whey permeate from the scientists at Center for Dairy Research and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dairy coproducts are rich in various types of bioactives that have potential health and nutritional benefits. Scientists will review the types of bioactives present in coproducts like whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC).  Researchers will discuss characterizing the flow properties of sweet whey powder using rheology and approaches to improve the solubility of high protein milk powder. There is growing interest in using whey permeate or acid whey to generate green chemicals or value-added ingredients by biofermentation or other bioconversion processes. Projects ongoing at UW-Madison will be reviewed that are upcycling dairy coproducts. 

EXPERT SPEAKERS 
Whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC) and various bioactives that can be isolated from dairy coproducts. 

• Dr. Gulustan Ozturk, Assistant Professor, UW-Madison 

Understanding and addressing the flowability issues in high-lactose dairy powders.

• Dr. Ayushi Kapoor, Postdoctoral Research Associate, CDR

The impact of milk salts on the rehydration behavior and functionality of high protein milk powders.

• Dr. Daniel Wilbanks, Researcher, CDR

Upcycling dairy coproducts: overview of current research projects at UW-Madison. 

• Dr. John Lucey, CDR Center Director, UW-Madison Professor

 

Location: Mendota Rooms 3-4

The largest tabletop exhibit floor in the 37-year history of this national conference - more than 350 expert supplier partners from around the world - takes over CheeseCon Wednesday afternoon. It's the dairy industry's single best interaction of processors and solutions providers - all in one giant hall.

Location: Exhibit Halls B, C, D

Enjoy the Thursday evening festivities with a splendid gathering featuring the best cheeses from all over the nation at the United States Champions Reception exclusively sponsored by Nelson-Jameson.



Sponsored by:

Location: Lobby

Attendees reconvene for a complimentary lunch and an engaging Keynote Address.

Per capita dairy consumption in the U.S. continues to grow, with new research showing Americans draw to dairy not only for taste, but also for its nutritional benefits for overall wellness and functional health. Join in for an energizing dive into the products, data, and sales strategies based around dairy’s health halo that support a bullish outlook for processors in the years ahead.

PRESENTED BY

• Paul Ziemnisky, Group EVP for Health & Wellness, Insights and Innovation, Dairy Management Inc.

 

Location: Hall A

Sustainability initiatives are increasingly shaping the landscape of international trade. For U.S. dairy exporters, aligning with evolving consumer demands, market expectations and regulatory frameworks is essential to drive growth and maintain competitiveness. In this session, hear from national sustainability and international market experts about how evolving trade policies, customer expectations and sustainability certifications are shaping the future of dairy exports.

EXPERT SPEAKERS

• Nicholas Gardner, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs, U.S. Dairy Export Council
• Megan Sheets, Vice President, Strategic Development, U.S. Dairy Export Council 

PANELISTS

• Carly Arendt, Global Sales & Marketing Strategist, Sartori Cheese
• Jason Burley, Group VP, Custom Ingredients, Grande Cheese
• Alfiya Thomas, Vice President, Export Sales, Schreiber Foods

Hosted by:

Location: Upper Level Meeting Rooms

Join CDR’s cheese technologist and scientists as they offer an overview of the main cheese defects and their causes. You will learn about keys to avoid flavor and texture defects in commodity cheeses and the use of modern genetic tools to help solve microbial issues will be discussed. You will also learn about new anti-fungal compounds derived from dairy proteins as well as making cheese from highly concentrated milk

EXPERT SPEAKERS 

Insight into current defects challenging the industry and possible causes. 

• Dean Sommer, Cheese Technologist, CDR

Genetic tools for microbial analysis (beyond traditional plating methods). 

• Dr. José Miguel Pérez, Cheese Scientist, CDR

Novel antifungal compounds from dairy and potential applications.

• Dr. Rodrigo A. Ibáñez, Cheese Scientist, CDR

Expanding the limits of cheese manufacture with highly concentrated milk.

• Grace Cassidy, Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Q & A Panel

• All Speakers

Hosted by:

Location: Mendota Rooms 3-4

Kick off Wednesday morning with Amcor's continental breakfast.

Sponsored by:

Location: Atrium

The afternoon of Tabletop Exhibits closes with a bang as the dairy industry gathers to celebrate gold medalists in the United States Championship Cheese Contest and bids to take these winners home. The Novonesis Reception is the high energy climax to the first full day at CheeseCon and a chance to support WCMA Contests, scholarships, training programs and strategic support of industry partners like CDR. Bid for the future of the dairy industry!

Sponsored by: 

Location: Hall A